Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

Genre: Documentary/Musical/Drama/Biography

Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo, Bob Rock, Phil Towle

The world most popular heavy metal band, Metallica were facing a crisis and were at an all time low in their career during the year 2001. The band hasn't toured in three years and just as the band was about to regroup for their 8th album, bassist Jason Newstead decided to quit the band. Newstead was apparently unhappy about the direction in which the band was heading and was unhappy that band leader James Hetfield wasn't allowing Jason to undertake side projects. Hetfield himself was battling drug and alcohol abuse and went into rehabilitation just months after the band started recording. Hetfield was away for over a year and drummer Lars Ulrich along with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett were annoyed with his continued absence. The band had previously hired a therapist, Phil Towle with whose help they wanted to get over their differences, improve performance and get rid of all the negativity. The band started recording once Hetfield returned and band producer Bob Rock filled in as bassist for the album recording until a new bassist, Robert Trujillo, was taken on the band. Metallica has ever since risen out from the ashes and retain their No.1 spot till this day. The documentary focuses on intra-band disagreements, the verge of the band breaking up, their battle with Napster, the making of St. Anger, selection of Trujillo and the eventual album release. It focuses on most of the core areas that any fan would want to know about Metallica and clearly reveals all the ups and downs that the band went through. Dont be mistaken that the movie is only for metal-heads. Apart from the blaring music that would smack a smile on the die-hard fans face, any other person would appreciate the movie and revelation of the functioning of a band. A must watch for fans and a recommended for anyone else.

Thumbs up: Great portrayal of every aspect, personal as well as professional, of each band member

Thumbs down: A boring 2nd part after a strong start and an equally strong end.

Rating: 7.4/10

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The Drity Picture (2011)

Genre: Drama/Musical/Biography/Romance

Starring: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma

Does sex sell? Well at least India's queen of melodramatic soap operas intends to find that out. A true-life story of a south Indian porn star, the movie explores how sex was used, and might still be used, to sell a movie. Ironically the movie itself employs conservative Vidya Balan to shed everything that covers her to add enough oomph to the movie to make it more appealing to audiences. Reshma aka Silk (Balan) aspired to be in the movies and ran away from home to head towards Madras where she aspired to realise her dreams. Film producer Selvaganesh (Sharma) discovers her and her willingness to reveal everything on screen and decides to feature her in some songs opposite the super-star of south Indian cinema, Suryakant (Shah). Surya is notorious for his affairs with young aspiring actresses and satisfies his sexual desires with Silk who in the meantime gets a lot of movie offers due to her 'friendship' with Surya. Contemporary director Abraham (Hashmi) wants to reach Hollywood and hates using sexuality and added 'spice' to sell the movie. Although he makes fabulous films that win him awards, it does not get him any money at the box office. Suryakants brother Ramakant (Kapoor) is attracted to Silk after a fallout between his brother and her and romances her. The movie aspired to shatter Indian mainstream cinema with Balan's three-inch-deep-cleavage with truckloads of sex and vulgarity to reveal the inside on-goings of the industry. Sadly the only focus of the movie seems to be Balan and every other characters presence being very rigid and structured. Enter, do your bit, and move out of the script all together. Since the focus has been on Vidya Balan throughout, her transformation from rags to riches has been shown with a good evolution. Even her appearance, gradual weight-gain, and puff on her right cheek were taken care of and shown with subtlety. If its Balans navel and exposed thighs that you aspire then the movie beckons for you, else go watch something else.

Thumbs up: Vidya Balan and the focus on her character, Awesome dialogues add humour

Thumbs down: Poor piecing together of the plot, poor supporting cast performance, predictable and a bit boring

Rating: 5.6/10

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Walk the Line (2005)

Genre: Drama/Musical/Romance/Biography

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin

Johnny Cash (Phoenix) was one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. He took up music much to the objection of his father and married his childhood sweetheart, Vivian (Goodwin). His creative lyrics and voice soon saw him soar to new heights. He met June Carter (Witherspoon) a fellow country musician and they both instantly became good friends. His fame and fortune got him addicted to drugs for which he was convicted on multiple occasions. This also led to him to break off his marriage with Vivian. Most of the movie revolves around Cash's rise to fame and his notorious drug addiction. The music is foot-tapping and makes the music lover want to explore Cash's genre of music. Performances are brilliant and Joaquin Phoenix is exceptional. Reese Witherspoon looks stunning throughout the movie and the duo make a great on-screen pair. The movie stretches Cash's drug addiction story due to which it is not able to explore other sides of his life, like the huge forest fire that his tour bus had initiated. 

Thumbs up: Great music and great performances

Thumbs down: Could have explored more aspects of Johnny Cash's life

Rating: 7.0/10

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Nine (2009)

Genre: Drama/Romance/Musical

Starring: Daniel-Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench

Coming from the director of Chicago, this musical entertainer promises to live up to the name of its predecessor. Rome, 1965, famous director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) has announced a new movie. Contini is finding it increasingly difficult to come up some inspiration for this movie, and although the film exists on paper, it does not in the maestro's head. To make things worse, his married life with a once famous actress Luisa (Cotillard) is on flimsy grounds and he seeks sexual respite with Carla (Cruz). Everything coupled together make his life one big mess, as if it wasn't already from the beginning. The movie somehow fails to bring out the song and dance the way Chicago did and fails in more than one aspect. It has some nice dance moves and a huge sex-appeal but that's about it. The performances were indeed good, but not enough to cover up for the movies flaws. Daniel-Day Lewis looks amazingly different from his previous hit There Will Be Blood and his brilliant performance does little to make the movie more appealing. An average entertainer which could have been much better

Thumbs up: Performances
Thumbs down: Storyline not good enough

Rating: 6.0/10

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Crazy Heart (2009)

Genre: Drama/Romance/Musical

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jack Nation

An alcoholic veteran country singer, Bad Blake (Bridges) has taken the road, performing at various towns and cities. Cigarette's and whisky being his only companion, he befriends and later falls in love with a young Santa Fe journalist, Jean (Gyllenhaal). Bad's friendship extends to Jean's son Buddy (Nation) and the three are all set to become a nice happy family. Bad's affinity for alcohol gets the better of him and circumstances give Bad and Jean a new outlook on how things have happened over the past few months. The story has nothing which makes you want to sit right till the end or wait to see what happens. Its simple and sober, apart from Bad and Jeff Bridges' phenomenal acting makes him a deserving recipient for the Oscar. The country music played in the movie may not be to the liking of all and hence puts the movie on dicey grounds. A good watch but not an entertainer.

Thumbs up: Jeff Bridges
Thumbs down: Slow, music not to everyone's liking

Rating: 7.0/10

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Musical/Thriller

Starring: Johnny Depp, Helene Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Ed Sanders, Jayne Wisener

19th century, Fleet Street, London. Benjamin Barker (Depp) is a happily married barber with a prosperous business. The corrupt Judge Turpin (Rickman) has his eyes on Benjamin's wife and puts Benjamin in prison in an attempt to seduce her. Once out of prison, Benajmin takes on the name of Sweeney Todd and returns to his old residence. His neighbour, Mrs Lovett (Carter) tells him that his wife consumed poison and his daughter Johanna (Wisener) is being kept locked in Judge Turpin's house. He wants to seek revenge for his family and decides to lure Judge Turpin to his saloon to get a shave and cut his neck open. One would realise that most of the characters in the movie are common with Harry Potter but it is merely a coincidence and nothing more. The musical narration of the story was better explored in Chicago which used dance and background music more effectively, something which lacked in this movie. The Lyrics, however, are worth reading with subtitles on and takes on a nice rhythmic motion. Watching Johnny Depp and the other cast singing is not quite bad and their efforts should be appreciated. The movie doesn't have a very strong plot to narrate but Johnny Depp's mere presence take it to new levels.

Thumbs up: Johnny Depp and other performances
Thumbs down: Songs could have been used more effectively, slightly weak plot

Rating: 7.2/10

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Michael Jackson's: This Is It (2009)

Genre: Documentary/Musical

Starring: Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega

The man who invented the 'moon walk', the epitome of all dance forms, the legend, Michael Jackson. For more than a decade, he stayed away from stage performances and his life was marred by controversies. He finally decides to make a public appearance once again at a concert in London in the month of July in 2009. June 2009, preparations for the concert were in full swing and barely weeks before the eventful day, MJ lost his life. It was a tragic day for the world and for the millions of fans who loved his music. A video recording of the rehearsals was being made which was to a part of the concert. That same recording took the form of this movie. The movie is like any other behind the scenes story of an event and doesn't hold any major significance. It perhaps would have been better if it retold the story of MJ's life with all his ups and downs, major concerts, biggest hits etc., instead the movie focused only on the making of the London concert. The movie is a must watch for any die-hard MJ fan, but for anyone else, it is highly avoidable.

Thumbs up: Michael, the legend
Thumbs down: Doesn't include past life

Rating: 6.1/10

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You Got Served (2004)

Genre: Musical/Drama/Romance

Starring: Omarion Grandberry, Marques Houston, Jennifer Freeman, Christopher Jones, Steve Harvey

David (Omarion) and Elgin (Houston) head a gang which go around competing in street dancing competitions to earn some money. They seem to be unbeatable and when they get challenged by Wade (Jones) an uptown rich youth, they immediately accept without hesitation. Predictably, they lose the competition and when David starts dating Liyah (Freeman) Elgin's sister, their friendship sours. One thing leads to another and the two best friends now don't see eye to eye with each other. When a mega national level dancing competition kicks off, the two friends form their own gang to battle it out for the title. However, they also have to face their previous adversary, Wade and his team. The movie treads on an old and overused 'test of friendship' story and every move is predictable. The movie is a must watch if you want to learn some serious dance movies. One can gain access to a whole amount of insanely amazing hip-hop dance moves which is indeed the only highlight of the otherwise boring movie.

Thumbs up: The dance moves
Thumbs down: Overused story and poor casting

Rating: 3.9/10

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The Soloist (2009)

Genre: Musical/Drama/Biography

Starring: Jamie Foxx. Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener

A stunning true-life story of Nathaneil Ayers Jr. (Foxx) a schizophrenic homeless who has a rare skill with musical instruments. LA Times reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) bumps into Nathaneil while he is searching the streets for some unique story to write on. After a short story of his life finds itself in the LA Times, the people of Los Angeles start sympathising with him. A very unique relationship is formed between Steve and Nathaneil, which Steve dispises but yet cant do anything about it and wants to continue to help him. Jamie Foxx does a splendid job in the movie. His appearance and execution of the role has brought him into a different league altogether and i wont be suprised if it gets considered for an Oscar. The movie did all the right things but yet did not manage to bring out the sort of emotions that it should have. The movie definitely needs more drama if it needs to create an impact

Thumbs up: Jamie Foxx's Oscar-worthy performance
Thumbs down: Less-dramatic and hence less impactful

Rating: 7.0/10

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The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Genre: Drama/Musical/Comedy/Romance

Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Tom Sturridge, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans, Chris O'Sowd, Rhys Darby

In 1966, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBS) was the only radio station in all of Britain and it only played 45 minutes of music every day. Radio Rock is a fictitious radio station that sprang up which played only rock n roll all day and night. The station was on a boat docked in the North Sea, in international waters in order to prevent being intercepted by the government of UK. Carl (Sturridge) is a young fellow who was sent by his mother to the boat so that his life may improve. 'Marvelous mistake' are the words by Quentin (Nighy) the radio boss. Pirate radio is filled with 8 insane DJ's who live off music day in and day out and have done perhaps the most outrageous things ever. The government, however, is not happy with the success of Radio Rock and forms a new law in order to shut it down. The movie is not actually based on a true life event, although the movie might convince you of their existence. The first half more or less revolves around the daily happenings on the boat with their eventual fall. The movie is slow and a little too long. There would be many occasions for you to laugh at but the movie is still a little unexciting. Not quite good as one would have expected it to be. It is a highly recommended watch for all music fans, especially rock and roll.

Thumbs up: Amazing performances by the entire cast and wonderful depiction
Thumbs down: Slow, a little too long and uneventful

Rating: 6.9/10

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Chicago (2002)

Genre: Musical/Drama/Crime

Starring: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah

Life of showbiz and glamour has never been too easy, and this movie just proves the point further. Velma (Jones) a successful showgirl, gets blood on her hands by murdering her sister and husband after catching them red-handed with each other. Roxie Hart (Zellweger) an aspiring showgirl, kills her agent after he fails to live up to his promise of getting her an act. With two glamour-hungry girls in her jail cell, corrupt jail-keeper Matron Mama Morton (Latifah) senses an opportunity and puts them in touch with Billy Flynn (Gere) a successful lawyer who has never lost a case and specialises in woman's cases. Each person is Chicago only works for himself, and its a battle to get the most out of what's put in front of you. Catherine Zeta-Jones looks absolutely stunning and Billy's character seems to be tailor-made for Richard Gere. Renee frails in comparison to the other two, but is not entirely a let-down. A well show-cased movie which changes ones perception of a 'musical' and at one point you actually appreciate it, in case you hate it. The story slides down your throat like some really smooth scotch whisky without you even realising it. It's one glamorous performance, either you love it or hate it.

Rating: 7.6/10

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School of Rock (2003)

Genre: Musical/Drama/Comedy

Starring: Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack

Dewey Finn (Black) is a wannabe rock star who has just got voted out by his rock band. Rosalie Mullins (Cusack) is a school principal of a snobbish prep school who needs a substitute teacher. She contacts Ned Shneebly (White) who also is also Dewey's room-mate, to fill in the post. Dewey, currently unemployed, impersonates his friend and takes his job without informing him. Rock and roll being the only subject he ever learnt, he starts teaching that to the kids, citing it as a 'secret inter-school project competition', and slowly forms a band of his own to compete in the Battle of the Bands competition. A hilarious and laugh out loud comedy, Jack Black puts on an amazing performance. Although it feels a bit overdone, but that's how he is and that's what makes him amazing. Many songs featured in the movie are actually sung by Black's own band, Tenacious D. The movie has a nice outcome and is an amazing watch.

Rating: 7.0/10

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Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (2006)

Genre: Musical/Comedy

Starring: Kyle Gass, Jack Black

For all those who are unaware, Jack Black and Kyle Gass have a rock band of their own knows as Tenacious D. The movie spoofs the story on how their own band was formed. KG (Gass) and JB (Black) are two rock-obsessed dudes who are out to make their living in music. They want to know the secret behind the success of major rock bands and find one small thing in common.; they all used 'the pick of destiny' (pick, meaning a guitar pick, used to strum a guitar), which makes the user a guitar playing god. This pick was supposed to be once a part of a demon and in a battle, he lost a small piece of his body which was used as a pick later on. Until the daemons body remains incomplete, he can never rise. The guitaring duo set out to claim the pick as their own. However the last missing piece goes back to the dreaded demon and he comes alive. The two friends battle the demon using their guitars and music and send the hideous creature back to where he belongs. As you might have clearly realised, the story is all hogwash but it is a must see for all rock fans. If your not, don't bother.

Rating: 5.8/10

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